Mavericks' Dante Exum: Not yet cleared for contact

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said after Saturday's practice that Exum is making progress in his recovery from right wrist surgery, but the veteran guard isn't yet taking contact, Noah Weber of TheSmokingCuban.com reports. "I think he's out to the three-point line shooting now. A lot of positives there," Kidd said of Exum. "It's just a matter of getting the scheduled appointment to check to see how the wrist is doing and go from there. He's in great shape. He's done a lot of solo workouts. I think he's excited to test the wrist out when he's cleared to do that."

Exum underwent surgery Oct. 9, with estimates at the time calling for him to miss around three months. He's now reached the end of that three-month timeline, and though Exum doesn't seem to have hit any snags in his recovery, he'll still need more time to get reconditioned and take contact before being cleared for his season debut. A firmer target date for Exum's return may come once he has another checkup with his surgeon, who could then give the 29-year-old the green light to ramp up his activity in practices.